ESPN tabs Georgia as 7th best coaching job in SEC

The ESPN panel tabbed UGA as the 7th best coaching job out of the newly expanded 14-team league, citing the following:

“The talent in the region has been there for years, but the competition for it has always been intense. Getting players to stay in Georgia is a tough sell with so many options. Basketball has had its moments in Athens, but it’s never going to be No. 1. The facilities aren’t top-notch in comparison to the rest of the league, either. Salaries are competitive, but never going to be in the upper echelon. UGA will have its moments of success, but expecting the Bulldogs to be an NCAA tournament team on a regular basis is unrealistic.”

Ouch – that last sentence can’t sit well with the expectations that Coach Mark Fox must have for his program.

Their point about the facilities – Stegeman – is pretty much spot-on. The facelift that the gym received a few years ago was a nice cosmetic improvement for the exterior, but the inside of the Coliseum still desperately needs to be upgraded. At the least, it should be altered so that Dominique Wilkins doesn’t find it just as he left it when he returns to Athens.

If UGA could play in a new basketball facility that seats 18-20,000 then the best basketball players will be forming a waiting line to enroll. Just look at Uof L and UK, they can recruit nationally to get their players because of their superior basketball facilities ( facilities built off campus by City/County bonds) attract the best coaching staffs, and fill those 20,000 + seats for every home game, attract other users such as named consert entertainment, and conventions. This arena should be built by the City of Athens thru tax free bond issue on an off campus location yet near the campus as possible or at least near bus transportation. UGA would be the major tenant for men and women basketball teams including NCAA tournament competitions, Georgia High School tournament competition, and if designed properly for multiple and simultaneous usage could host multiple concerts, rodeos, civic and business conventions, and other entertainment programs. Just asked those cities who is booking their facilities and are they being able to meet their bond debt. The City of Lexington (Metro) in conjunction and working with private developers was close to building a new facility larger than Rupp Arena until the bad economy hit and postponed any expansion plans until further review of expanding Rupp or building a new facility close to Downtown and Rupp.

Joe – you are skipping the egg and going straight to the chicken. Lousiville and UK have those arenas because they have thousands of dedicated fans to fill those seats. Kentucky is a basketball state, Georgia is a football state.

South Carolina plays in the Colonial Life Center, an arena like Joe wants. It’s nice as far as it goes, but many of the sight-lines feel more distant than our Coliseum. And even though it is near USC’s campus, it does not feel anywhere near it. Campus digs that students can still walk to are the best. UGA doesn’t need extra seats. As a visiting UF fan said to me upon walking up, I thought we’d have trouble finding seats. Facilities aren’t the issue. Winning and tradition are. The Training Facility rivals anybody’s, but everyone is drawn to winning or the potential to win – as in the attendance increase 2010 -2011. Stegeman is really fine now since the outer facelift. Long gone are the stage and wooden seats I sat in when Dominique played.
And just to illustrate, Dominique, bless his soul, never played defense much. I would would watch and say the team would be better without him (heresy!). Next year, they were – with the crowds to match.

Hoop, how about a summer recruiting update. Who is our most important target? Who is our most likely target? I think it’s obvious that 2013 is majorly important as far as recruiting. I need a summer basketball fix.

The main thing that continues to worry me regarding 2013 recruiting is the lack of in-state targets. However, it is still months before the basketball season even begins and the in-state recruiting picture could change dramatically between now and then.